Posts Tagged ‘jealousy’

When was the last time someone offended you? If you’re living in the world and walking amongst its people, probably not very long ago. It’s easy to get your feelings hurt or your ego squished. We live in a society gone mad in a sense, thanks to keyboard warriors and endless social media sites to camp out on all hours of the day. You can pretty much count on someone stepping on your toes if you dabble at all in any arena where people live and function.

We are humans, afterall.

Not a day goes by that I don’t find something annoying or offensive online. I read posts from friends or acquaintances and cringe at the thoughtlessness behind some of them. Thankfully, God is quick to remind me that I am no different than any other person who posts my beliefs or ideals on the internet. It’s all a heart issue. What’s in our hearts, we spill out.

That’s convicting, huh?

I’ve been wondering, what’s it like to live without offense? The one person who had every right to be offended was treated as offensively as a person ever has been yet HE FORGAVE every one of his offenders. My answer comes in the form of Jesus. He knew offense and he forgave anyway. What a challenge to my own flesh!

Been offended?

I’ve felt the sting of exclusion in friendships.

I’ve experienced being gossiped about.

I’ve been lied to and about in my community and relationships.

I’ve walked the pain of backstabbing so-called friends and even church people.

I’ve been on the receiving end of ugliness & even hate.

I’ve been falsely accused.

I’ve known two-faced people with bad intentions towards me and my family.

I’ve had hurtful words said to me.

….

I’ve experienced being offended, wounded and hurt beyond what words can describe and I AM STILL ALIVE AND WELL.

If you just peek out in the world, you will find the hurt that’s there in the form of offense. Someone somewhere is lurking around with a heart that’s all messed up and they will find you. You cannot hide from the pain of offense. It’s here, there and everywhere.

However, you can live with an attitude of forgiveness.

This might sting a little but there’s real freedom in NOT TAKING something personally. No matter who or how someone treats you — it DOES NOT reflect on you (or me). It reveals everything about them. Worrying about what someone says or does to us can be exhausting! People are flawed, they’re hurting and from my own life experience….hurting people really do try to hurt other people.

If you are feeling like others constantly dump their poison & anger on you, you can do something about it. First, forgive them. Pray for them and ask God to help you love them like HE DOES (because, guess what? GOD LOVES THAT PERSON). Second, come to grips with the fact that if what they say to you offends you, you might be a little off-balance yourself. What is going on in your own heart that your first inclination is to be offended? Is it a hate issue? Is it that you just want to stay the same and never grow? Listen, I have grown more from the pain in my life than I’ve ever grown from joy.

Stop being offended.

You are not a delicate daisy. You are strong, you are smart and you are God’s child. You are capable of living unoffended. If Jesus could do it, so can you (and me).

I’m convinced that the enemy enjoys the broken relationships of our lives more than anything else. If he can keep us angry, jealous or in a state of dislike with one another…what better way of destroying the good that can come from healed people. When we wallow in our hurt, we are not in the game of loving outside of ourselves.

Somebody out there needs you (and me) and if we’re trapped in an offendable state, we’re useless!

I woke up this morning feeling like garbage! I felt grumpy, head-achey just all around miserable! I didn’t notice just how crummy I was feeling until I got ticked at my cup of coffee before I’d even had a sip. Don’t ask.

I’ve had an issue rolling around inside my head & heart for the last few days. Waking up this morning was like the eruption of all the feels! I’ve prayed over it. I’ve talked about it with my hubby. I’ve pondered it in my thoughts. I’ve laid it down and then picked it up again. This morning, God said, “Let’s get this done with!”.

So, here I am. Pouring out my thoughts on rejection. Don’t misunderstand, I’m no expert on Biblical understanding of how other people love or don’t love. All I can do is share what God has told me through scripture and prayer. I’m all wrecked and flawed like everyone else. I’m trying to live as a blank slate every single day! I get up & look for God to use me, fill me and make me more like Him because, friends, I ain’t no good as is!

I NEED JESUS!

God is a slick operator (I mean, hey…HE’S GOD!!! Duh), my morning devotion was on rejection straight up in my face! The writer told a story about a time a really close friend dissed her in a big way for what felt like no reason at all. She was so hurt that she acted out in her flesh and sought out some sort of retaliation against her “friend”. She felt all the hurt feelings and thought all the negative thoughts that most of us tend to feel when we’re in such a situation. Rejection hurts. It crushes us and wounds us and our natural reaction is to fire back. To make the offender feel like they’ve made us feel.

God goes about dealing with rejection in the absolute opposite way. (Of course HE does) He says, “Do not judge and you will not be judged!” Ouch! Also, “Do not condemn and you will not be condemned!” Oh Lord, come on! Here’s the big one, “Forgive and you will be forgiven!” Yikes! I’m being measured just like everyone else and I know better than to be vengeful or mean-spirited to others. God has a better way. He’s offering me the choice to love like HIM.

READ LUKE 6:37-42

Funny how far off the path we can get when we act out or feel life’s struggles in our own fleshly way. I do not have to worry about anyone who doesn’t want to be my friend or whether they like me, accept me or ever speak to me again. My role isn’t to chase people down and force them to care about me. My role is to be a loving person to them no matter how they treat me. If they insult me or ignore me, love them anyway. I’m no better than they are and God will bless me for my obedience to Him.

I answer to God, not others.

The greatest thing I can do for me and for them is to pray for them. Genuinely seek God in blessing their lives and for opportunities to be a Christ-like friend whenever I have the chance. Rejection isn’t fatal. Sometimes it’s a painful way of learning to look to Jesus for acceptance in a world heck bent on spitting in the face of God. My little hurt feelings are nothing compared with the rejection my Lord has suffered. Seriously, He never did anything rude or ugly to anyone (I can’t claim that) yet He suffered the worst kind of rejection.

I’ll end with this, remember how jealous and cruel Joseph’s brothers were to him? They really disliked their little brother, enough so that they threw him in a hole to get rid of him forever! Joseph didn’t die there but he struggled through some rough treatment before his most important role. When he finally came face-to-face with those same mean brothers they were shakin in their sandals for the way they treated him. Joseph had every right to lash out and to destroy them for their sin against him…but, he didn’t dare. He lovingly told them, it’s okay. What you meant as harm for me…GOD HAS USED IT FOR GOOD!

Whatever someone is doing to you or has done to you — don’t let it consume you or wreck your heart. Trust God that He is going to use it for good. Maybe not right now, could be for a far off time but trust Him that He will make it right. Love & be loved. Be a friend, turn the cheek and remember rejection isn’t about you it’s about them.